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Some arm/bicep pain while squatting

09-14-2013, 03:30 PM

I've been getting some pain in my left arm / bicep area while squatting. It's not a sudden sharp pain but but one that grows as the sets go on and it's distracting nonetheless, messing with my workout a bit. Any ideas what that might be and what I could do to help it? Flexibility issue? I've been trying some stretches which make it feel slightly better (but only temporarily) Then it comes back when I do the squat again. I tried moving my grip out further on the bar which helps but only slightly. It actually feels better after I do some bench pressing. The right arm feels fine.

It's most likely from your arms supporting some of the weight. I went through the same thing when I did Starting Strength. Your back should be supporting everything, with your arms there just to steady the bar. Make sure that you're putting your thumbs over the bar, not around it, and widen your grip as much as you need.

When it happened to me, I skipped a workout to let my arm heal and then deloaded about two weeks worth of progress from all my lifts. I was back on track after the two weeks. I hope that helped.

In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.

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OK thanks Ill try to see if I'm doing that. I definitely have my thumb over the bar and I've worked hard to make sure I keep my wrists straight as well. In fact I think I only end up gripping the bar with middle, ring, and pinky fingers because of my wide grip (I have long arms).

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Definitely read this post and watch the video in the seventh entry on this thread. I had this same problem and after watching this video and being careful about form for about a month, I no longer have pain in my elbow. My problem wasn't so much during the squat but when I was unracking the weight. The video was absolute gold for solving my problem.

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Jefferson what you wrote made me think...that it could possibly be due to how I rack the bar. The squat rack in my gym has only a few levels, and the one I use is actually slightly too high for me. When I put the bar back I have to do it one side at a time, and really strain myself to lift one side up higher. I do believe I always put the left side in first.

Anyway I'm considering skipping squats tomorrow in order to let it heal. A bit worried it is tendonitis and I don't want it to become chronic.

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Jefferson what you wrote made me think...that it could possibly be due to how I rack the bar. The squat rack in my gym has only a few levels, and the one I use is actually slightly too high for me. When I put the bar back I have to do it one side at a time, and really strain myself to lift one side up higher. I do believe I always put the left side in first.

Anyway I'm considering skipping squats tomorrow in order to let it heal. A bit worried it is tendonitis and I don't want it to become chronic.

When in doubt about how high to set the bar, go low. There are some funny videos on Youtube where guys try to put the bar back on the pins while on their tiptoes . The ideal setup would be where you could walk the bar into some uprights and then just let the bar slide onto the pins. Not all gyms offer that, though, so we just gotta try to make do.

As far as taking a day off, that's fine. Training for strength is a long journey, and a missed workout isn't going to make much difference in the long run. Do what you need to get your arm back to 100%.

In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.

This message has been intercepted by the NSA, the only branch of government that listens.

Comment

When in doubt about how high to set the bar, go low. There are some funny videos on Youtube where guys try to put the bar back on the pins while on their tiptoes . The ideal setup would be where you could walk the bar into some uprights and then just let the bar slide onto the pins. Not all gyms offer that, though, so we just gotta try to make do.

As far as taking a day off, that's fine. Training for strength is a long journey, and a missed workout isn't going to make much difference in the long run. Do what you need to get your arm back to 100%.

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I'm going to see if I can make the upper back tighter and raise the bar position slightly next time I squat. My arm is thanking me for skipping them today. I was still able to do the BP and DL without too much discomfort.

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I though I had this solved but I wasn't paying attention and had one sloppy re-racking yesterday. Pain came back right after that. It wasn't as bad as previously, thankfully. I may have to lay off the squats for a bit longer than one workout.

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Thanks. I tried this today and I think it helped. It allows me to get my back in a tighter position. The pain still came back but not as bad. I limited myself to 1x5. I am going to have to force myself to drop squats for two workouts at least and hope it heals up 100%.

I read on the SS forums that a lot of guys with smaller arms ran into this same issue.